Sources: Irish’s Buchner to enter transfer portal
12:42 PM ET Pete ThamelESPN Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner intends to go into the NCAA transfer website, sources told ESPN
on Tuesday.Buchner’s impending entrance to the website will make him the most accomplished quarterback to enter in the spring period
, and there is anticipated to be a strong market for his services.He enters with a willingness to return to Notre Dame if he doesn’t like his options, sources informed ESPN.Buchner entered the offseason
with some momentum after starting the Battling Irish’s 45-38 success over South Carolina in the TaxSlayer
Gator Bowl, going 18 of 33 for 273 backyards with 3 touchdown and 3 interceptions. He started the 2022 season as the starter in the very first two games against Ohio State and Marshall before suffering a shoulder injury against the Thundering Herd.Buchner enters the 2023 season as a junior but has three years of eligibility staying due to the fact that he played just three games throughout the 2022 season as a sophomore, which makes him eligible for a redshirt season.One rational landing spot for Buchner would be Alabama. Other schools that have actually shown interest in portal quarterbacks this spring include TCU and Stanford.Former Notre Dame offensive planner Tommy Rees left the Irish for the Crimson Tide this offseason. It ended up being significantly clear in Alabama’s spring game on Saturday that the program lacks a specific starter.Nick Saban was lukewarm in his endorsement of any Crimson Tide quarterback after the spring game, and the coach left the door open in his postgame comments about the Crimson Tide looking at the transfer portal as a possible solution at the position.Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson, the two Alabama players vying to replace Bryce Young as beginning quarterback, had a hard time during the spring game, throwing a combined three interceptions while completing fewer than half of their passes.Buchner, who was ranked No. 41 in ESPN 300 class of 2021, went into Notre Dame as one of Brian Kelly’s many declared quarterback prospects throughout the coach’s tenure.Buchner battled with Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman this spring. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was consistent with his comments this spring that Buchner had a great chance to win the job this fall since of his familiarity with the system. If Buchner did decide to go back to Notre Dame, he would continue to battle Hartman for the beginning job.Hartman transferred to the Irish as the ACC profession leader
in touchdown passes with 110 in 5 seasons at Wake Forest, and is 2nd in ACC history with 12,967 profession passing yards.Buchner, from La Mesa, California, had deals out of high school from several programs, including Alabama, TCU, Georgia, USC and Michigan.